NLC, TUC Say No to N54,000 Minimum Wage

TUC and NLC reject the proposed N54,000 minimum wage

The meeting to discuss the current minimum wage discussions has been postponed until Wednesday, May 22.

This decision was made in response to organized labour's rejection of the Federal Government's proposal, which increased the minimum wage from N48,000 to N54,000.

Following the government's initial proposal of N48,000, organized labour staged a walkout at last week's conference.

Labour pushed on their demand for a decent wage of N615,000, while the Organised Private Sector, or OPS, had also offered N54,000.

The meeting was adjourned because representatives from the corporate sector and state governors, who were not sufficiently represented, had not yet made their amended proposals available.

Labour unions reaffirmed their May 31, 2024, deadline for enacting the new minimum wage, with President Joe Ajaero of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) demanding N615,000.

They voiced dissatisfaction with the negotiations' failure and blamed the OPS and the government for it.

The NLC and TUC jointly released a statement highlighting the significance of resolving the present economic issues and coming to a just agreement that reflects the genuine worth of workers' contributions.

Vice President Kashim Shettima established the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage in January with the goal of recommending a new federal minimum wage.

The committee was asked to move quickly with its resolution process during the inauguration.

Following the initial announcement, a series of zonal public hearings were held to gather feedback, yielding diverse proposals from different regions. After careful consideration, organized labour ultimately coalesced around a unified demand for a living wage of N615,000.